


Every Time I See You, I Swear I See Wings

by Aries_The_Writer



Category: Supernatural
Genre: M/M, Punk Castiel (Supernatural), Slow Build, Slow Burn, Teen Sam Winchester
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-11-30
Updated: 2021-01-23
Packaged: 2021-03-09 20:39:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,377
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27712148
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aries_The_Writer/pseuds/Aries_The_Writer
Summary: Sam Winchester has just entered his senior year of high school. Avoiding arguments with his dad about his life choices, makes the year just a little bit harder.Castiel Novak. He has now lost count of how many times he has had to sit through his senior year. But after a short break from earth, he can't argue when his dad makes him Sams Guardian Angel.Slowly but surely, things get a complicated
Relationships: Castiel/Sam Winchester
Comments: 9
Kudos: 16





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> This is a rewrite of an old fic I have up on Wattpad (different username one I don't relate to anymore) It was under the same title as this one though. I just wanted to give this story a new life.

Silent clouds crept over the sky as the sun hung low. It was early, and no one wanted to make the effort to get up. Everyone was slow. They knew that if the sun was higher, they could truly get to work. Whether that was actually going to work or maybe just getting out of bed. The smallest things can be the hardest for some people. Hell, maybe even staying awake all day was someone's work. That's okay. There is nothing wrong with taking baby steps, no matter where they lead. Some one is always willing to hold your hand along the way. 

  
For Sam Winchester, his first step was to turn off his alarm. The ear splitting tone dug deep into his ears, jolting him awake. It took him a few moments to even realize what was going on. Alarms seemed so wrong to him today. He had gone the whole summer vacation without one. Sam had gotten a bit too used to the freedom of that. Blinking rapidly, he cursed his previous nights self for not closing the curtains the whole way. Early morning rays of sun made themselves at home directly on his eyes. His hand reached out from under his covers, fumbling to find his phone on the nightstand. A thud coming from the floor as he knocked it to the floor. 

  
"Shit." He mumbled to him self. With a groan he sat up in bed, chucking the covers to the side. He took a moment to himself before picking the phone and finally turning the alarm off. His screen blared with the reminder of his senior year finally starting. 

  
Sam couldn't quite work out how he felt about it. He thought back to the summer, how normal he felt, how different. He knew it felt weird, that was for certain. The memories he had were slowly slipping out of his reach, they were distant. He desperately wanted to cling to sense of normality he experienced over the past few weeks. He didn't have to deal with dingy motels that had mysterious stains on the sheets. He didn't have to forced down late night dinners at run down truck stops. It surprised him how far the craving for a normal life had dug its way into his brain. He wanted normal. He was going to fight tooth and nail for it if he had to. Well, he liked to think that he would.   
Feeling all the joints in his back click into place, Sam finally stood up. The silence of the house hitting him like a tidal wave. He held back a yawn, trying to pick up on even the tiniest sound. There was nothing. He wanted to enjoy it. The house was so rarely this quiet. But he couldn't. Deep down, he knew that the reason for the lack of sound was from one of two things.

One- Dean and their father were already out on a hunt. Leaving way before Sam considered to wake up.  
Two- They were both asleep. 

  
It would not surprise Sam if they had left. Dean would normally at least send a text or wake him up. However, their father had gotten into the habit of forcing Dean out the door and banning phones in the car. It was punishment. Punishment for Sam having the nerve to have a life outside of hunting. He would try his hardest to alienate Sam from himself and Dean, hoping it would make him come crawling back. Sam, was determined to not do that.   
If they were asleep, the quiet was still weird. Dean would at least have the radio playing something. Had he really just passed out last night? It wasn't unheard of and Sam knew that. He sighed. 

  
Trying to match the silence the house was screaming, Sam stood up out of bed. He held back a yawn as he walked to the bathroom. He paused outside Deans bedroom and to his surprise, he could actually hear a low snore from inside. Sam smiled. He grabbed a fresh towel from the hall closet and walked into the bathroom. The door closed behind him with a soft click. He could a steady drip from the sinks tap. it had been in there for less than 30 seconds and it was already drilling into his head. He turned it off as he threw the towel onto the floor. He caught sight of himself in the mirror and internally cringed as he became aware of the birds nest on his head. he reached over the tub and turned the shower on, cold water blasting onto his arm. Sam shook the water off his arm. As the water began to warm up, he got undressed, letting his shirt and boxers fall to the floor. He kicked them to the side. The water had heated up and he stepped in. 

  
The warmth of the water rolled over his back and legs. Sam leant his hands on the wall and bent his head under the water. His eyes closed. The water ran through his hair, and dripped off the tip of his nose. He let himself enjoy it for a moment. He felt relaxed. He forgot about school and his family. He allowed the moment to swallow him up. Unfortunately, he knew if he stayed there, he would give up. So instead he shook his head and actually began to shower. 

  
About 15 minutes later he stepped out, water dripping onto the floor off of his body. He picked up his towel and wrapped it around his waist. He slicked his hair back with his hands before brushing his teeth quickly. Without forgetting his clothes, he went back to his room. Sam hoped he didn't leave wet footprints through the hallway. Not that anyone was up to notice. Once in his room, he continued to dry himself off. The rough fabric of the towel was hardy comforting. He used the towel to attempt to dry his hair, but ultimately he let it dry naturally. The towel ended up in the corner of his room as he missed the basket when he threw it. He stood for a moment. With a sigh, he grabbed the nearest shirt and jeans from his wardrobe and a clear pair of socks and underwear from his drawers. 

  
Once dressed he found his backpack and headed downstairs. He left the bag at the bottom of the stairs. He went to the kitchen and immediately turned the coffee machine on. He ignored the hum it made as he managed to find an apple to eat. It wasn't much, but he could finally feel the nerves settle in his stomach. He picked a mug and poured the freshly brewed coffee into it. As he drank it, he thought about school. Sam wanted to focus on the mundane that it would bring. Just focus purely on that and not on the cover of betrayal his father had put over it. He would drive himself insane if he did. 

  
Sam was facing out the window, but something was wrong. He could feel two needles pricking at the back of his neck, piercing in deeper. He slowly lowered the mug to the counter and paused. He span round quickly to see what was behind him.

  
"Dean?" His voice was laced with confusion. Dean was deep asleep all of 10 minutes ago. 

  
"Mornin' Sammy." Deans voice was the complete opposite of Sam's, filled with cheer. He walked over and grabbed the mug Sam previously had in his hand. 

  
Sam shook his head and elected to ignore it. "What the hell you doing up?"

  
"Aw, come on. I couldn't miss my baby brothers first day of senior year can I?"

  
"Dude, you didn't even get up in time for your _own_ first day of senior year." Sam raised his eyebrows. 

  
Dean paused. "Not the point Sammy. Not the point."

  
Sam leant against the counter and crossed his arms over his chest. "So what is?"

  
"Alright look," Dean sighed, "I know that I did complete shit in my senior year. But that is because I made the mistake of not caring. You do. You care about all of this stuff so who the hell am I to stand in your way? I'm gonna support you the best I can during this because God knows I haven't been doing great at that recently. So, if people give you crap, just let them know that your brother knows how to use a shotgun." He winked as he took a sip from his coffee. 

  
"Thanks, I'll bear that in mind." Sam said with a chuckle.

  
"Good! Now, I wanted to give you something." Dean reached into his pocket and Sam looked at him, bemused. He held his hand out, keys dangling from it.

  
"What?"

  
"Take the car today."

  
Sam stares at him for a few seconds, before slowly reaching out for the keys. Wary that this could end up being some form of joke. "But.. But you barely let me _touch_ the car, let alone drive it." Sam said in awe.

  
"You gotta start the year of right." Dean patted him on the arm. 

Sam smiles playing with keys in his hands. He thought, his smile falling into a frown. 

  
"What about Dad?"

  
Dean ran his hand though his hair. "Don't worry about it okay? I'll talk to him," his eyes flicker to the stairs and then back to Sam, "if a job comes up we can just wait until you get back." 

  
Sam looked at him for a second. "Okay then."

  
"Just don't put your bag in the trunk, I don't want to bail you out of jail on your first day." He laughed and headed to the living room, taking his coffee with him. 

  
Sam stared the keys again, before chucking his apple core into the trash. He doesn't bother making himself another coffee, instead he puts on his shoes and grabs his bag. He looks into the living room, where Dean was flicking through the TV. 

  
"Okay, I'll see you later."

  
"Knock 'em dead, Sammy."

  
Sam chuckled and walked out the house. he stood in front of the car, just looking at it. He unlocked the car and placed his bag on the passenger seat. He couldn't quite believe he was allowed to drive the car today. He had only ever driven it once before and that was to celebrate passing his test last year. Since then he just drove a hand-me-down from Dean. He put the key in and tuned it over, hearing the smooth engine turn on. Sam smiled.

  
He pulled out the driveway and began the journey to school. He refused to let his mind wander. If it did, soon he would feel the guilt crawl its way up into his brain. He didn't want to associate school with that. Sam wanted to use school as an escape. The days may pass quickly, but it was better than nothing. He knew he couldn't just sit around and wait for the next job to roll around, he had to keep busy, fight his way out. 

  
Before too long he was in the parking lot. There were a few stares dotted about from students, even a few teachers. It was exactly something that Sam was used to and he had no idea if he liked it or not. He logically knew that it was the car that was drawing all the attention, not him. However his brain kept screaming at him that it was him that was being stared at. He mentally told himself to shut up. It was not going to do him any good dwelling on that. 

He shut the engine off, taking a minute to look at the people around him. There were still a few odd looks, but he just shook them off. He made sure he had everything he needed and climbed out the car. He locked it and made his way towards the building. The stares had stopped completely now, any worries he had went with them. It was clear now that they meant nothing. His bag went over his shoulder as he sighed.

  
"Holy shit, Dean let you have the car!" A shock of bright orange darted to his side.

  
"Hey Charlie, yeah I'm as surprised as you are." Sam respond as the girl fell in step next to him. 

  
"Well, at least you didn't crash it."

  
"Don't jinx it, I still have to drive it home." They both laughed as they entered the building, walking the familiar route to their lockers.

  
"Hey guys." Garth waved at them from his own. The three of them had been locker neighbours since freshman year, and Sam was super glad they got along.  
Sam waved back as the other two began chatting away about anything and everything. He got his timetable out of his bag and scanned it. 

  
"Either of you got English with Miss Clarkson?" He asks, finally looking up at them.

  
"Yeah, I do." Garth said as he began to sort his own bag and locker out. Charlie was too busy looking at her own timetable.

  
"Nope, I have Mr. Franks." Her voice almost sad. 

  
Sam took her timetable from her and compared it to his own.

  
"We do have, History, Maths, Chemistry and PE together." 

  
Charlie groaned. "Ugh I hate PE. I would much rather have double anything else."

  
Garth looked over her shoulder, holding his own timetable to the two already out. 

  
"Okay so, I have English, Biology, PE and Spanish with Sam," he paused as he looked at Charlie's, "and IT, physics, art and PE with Charlie."

  
Sam nudged Charlie's arm. "At least you have both of us for PE."

  
"And I don't have to worry about being in all the smart classes." She nudged Sam back. He rolled his eyes. 

  
Once they were all finished at their lockers they began the walk towards the English classes. They were deep in their own conversations and Sam was thankful. They didn't have to deal with lost freshman trying to find classrooms. He had to admit, it was funny to watch them freak out as they realized they were on the opposite side of the building than were they needed to be. Charlie said good bye once they reached her class, the two guys carrying on to their own.

  
"You hear about the new kid?" Garth asked as they sat down at the back, waiting for their teacher.

  
"New kid? No I haven't." Sam's voice was muffled as he reached into his bag for a pen.

  
"I haven't heard much, but apparently he got kicked out his last school."

  
"Why?"

  
"No idea. So who knows what kind guy he's gunna be." Garth replied as the teacher walked in.

  
"There is no need to worry, I bet we won't cross paths with the guy." Sam sat up. 

  
"Yeah right." Garth mumbled under his breath.

  
Sam hid a chuckle, trying to pay some attention to what the teacher was saying. She placed a stack of notebooks in front of a blonde, instructing her to pass them round. As soon as she stood up, Sam couldn't take his eyes of her. He hair bounced lightly as she walked around, smiling at each person she handed a book to. She placed one down in front of Sam and locked eyes with him. It was the same smile she gave everyone else, but Sam still felt a jolt of happiness run through him. She turned to carry on and his eyes fell to her waist.

  
"Dude, might wanna close your mouth before you start drooling."

  
Garths voice made Sam snap out of it. "Shut up Garth."

  
"You have got it bad for Jess, don't you?"

  
"I said shut it." Sam could feel the heat rise in his cheeks. Instead of letting Garth have his point proven, he put immense focus on writing his name on the book he had been given. 

  
Miss Clarkson began to turn their attention to Shakespeare. Sam took notes, taking not so well hidden glances at Jess every so often. She flicked her hair over her shoulder and Sam could swear he almost melted. 

  
A distraction came to them all, when the door suddenly swung open. In strutted what Sam could only assume was the new kid. He noticed a few glints of metal in his face, more precisely, his mouth, nose and eyebrow. He wore a tan trench coat that met at his combat boots. His ripped jeans a clear match to his AC/DC shirt. Sam also saw he had painted his nails black. But his attention was drawn back to his face which had a smug grin on. The teacher just glared at him and pointed at the only open seat. Next to Sam, who groaned quietly. 

  
"Great..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If this seems different to the first chapter, I'm sorry. I am still trying to learn my writing style. This chapter seems more dialogue heavy than the first, but I'm trying to put more detail in all aspects. I'm also sorry for any spelling or grammatical mistakes. I'm hoping when I have more confidence I can go back and correct them.

The boys eyes followed the teachers hand and landed on the seat next to Sam. He gave her a nod. As he walked towards the back he held his high with the same smug smile. Everyone's eyes were on him, even the teacher had stopped talking. Sam noticed Jess look at him, or more accurately, his ass. Sam rolled his eyes and looked at his notebook, the grip on his pen getting tighter. He hadn't spoken one word to the boy and yet the annoyance was already rising in him. He paused at the chair before pulling it out, a loud screech came from the legs against the floor. He sat down heavily and caused the same sound as he pulled the chair in next to him. Sam flinched, his grip tightening again. The teacher followed, placing a book in front of him. She promptly turned around and continued to teach, her voice filled with irritation from the distraction. 

  
Sam risked a glance over at the boy. He saw the name on his book, Castiel Novak. The letters neat and clean, put down with care. Sam was mildly surprised. The movement of his hand caused the sleeves of his coat to ride up. There were the subtle hints of what Sam assumed to be tattoos. He raised an eyebrow, wondering how he managed to get them in the first place. Maybe the coat was his way of getting away with it at school. 

  
"You know, it's rude to stare." Despite the low, raw and rough register of his voice, Sam still picked up on slight arrogance. 

  
"Trust me, I wasn't staring at you," Sam rolled his eyes, looking back towards the front of the class. 

  
"Oh come on Sugar, don't you like what you see?" Sam didn't need to see his face to know that Castiel was smirking. 

  
"Don't call me sugar." Sam did end up looking at him, his face deadpan. 

  
"Oh, someone's touchy." A simple, yet annoying wink appeared on his face.

  
"You're an asshole." Sam turned back to his notebook, making a mental memo to not turn back around to him.

  
"Correction, you want my asshole."

  
Sam felt the pen snap in his hand. No one around him notices, or at least he hopes no one does. He slowly lowered his hand to his side, letting the ink drip down onto the floor. He could feel the cold liquid pool in his fist and he sighed to himself. He knew not to reply to the comment, if he did he would never hear the end of it, neither would Castiel shut up. Instead he brought his attention back to the teacher, trying extra hard to take in what she was saying. He was extremely aware of how slow time was passing and he just prayed that the lesson would end somewhat soon.

  
Luckily, he heard the bell ring before too long and grabbed his bag, shoving his notebook inside. He tried hard not to get ink anywhere so managed to do everything with one hand. Garth grabbed his own stuff. 

  
"See you at Lunch, Sam."

  
Sam gave him a nod as he headed out, he slung his back over his shoulder and walked out as well, throwing the bin in the trash as he went. He was stopped by a hand on his arm before he made it very far. He sighed and looked behind him.

  
"Can you show me where my next class is?" Castiel asks, trying to be the picture of innocence.

  
Sam paused, suddenly taken aback by how blue Castiels eyes were. The were deep and bright and Sam kicked himself for being drawn in by them. He blinked a few times before acknowledging what had been spoken.

  
"Yeah, sure whatever." He held his ink free hand out in which Castiel placed his timetable. Sam looked over it quickly as a sense if deep dread sunk into his stomach.

  
"You've got to be fucking kidding me."

  
"What?" Castiel leaned over his shoulder to look at the paper.

  
"You, are in every single one of my classes." Sam pushed the timetable into Castiel's chest, starting to walk away. Castiel stumbled a few steps back before, running to catch up with Sam.

  
"Well, that makes my life easier."

  
Sam ignored him. He could hear the footsteps behind him and knew this kid was not going to leave him alone for the rest of the day. Hell, he could tell that he would be followed by him for the rest of the year. This wasn't what he imagined his final year of high school to be, not in the slightest. He just wanted to sit back and focus. The more time he spent on that, the better his grades, the better the grades, the better his College prospects were going to be. College was his ticket out of home and truly out of his Dads grip. He was not about to let some random kid get in the way of that. He tried to sped up to lose him, but once he followed Sam into the bathroom, Sam knew he wasn't going to. 

  
Sam headed straight for the sink, turning the water on and loading his hand with soap. He saw the water turn black as he rinsed the ink of his hand. He could see Castiel reflected in the mirror. He was rocking back and forth on the his heels, looking around in mock interest. 

  
"Well, this is certainly a weird looking History class." He smiled widely at Sam in the mirror. 

  
"Shut up." 

  
"Oh lighten up, Sammy." His voice turned into a sing song. Sam dried his hands and turned to face Castiel.

  
"Two things, first, don't call me Sammy. Two, how do you know my name?" He crossed his arms over his chest.

  
"Notebook." He sang again, this time turning on the spot. 

  
Sam rolled his eyes and pushed past him out the bathroom. The door slammed against the wall after him. He walked quickly, smirking at the fact he could tell that Castiel was almost jogging in order to catch up. One lesson with kid was bad enough, but every single one? Sam thought to himself as he walked. He was in the top of all his classes, well, except Spanish, but even with that, it was extremely weird that Castiels timetable matched his perfectly. If he didn't know any better he would say only God himself could make that happen. He shook the thoughts from his head, coming to a sudden stop outside his class. Castiel skidded loudly across the floor as he avoided crashing into the back of Sam.

  
"Hey!" He heard him exclaim, Sam didn't even try to hide his laugh. Castiel learned round the side of him to see the reason as to why they were no longer moving. He felt his eyebrows raise, his eyes landing on Charlie, her short frame highlighted by the height of Sam. 

  
"Uh, hello?" She looked between both the the guys, confusion evident on her face.

  
"Charlie, this Castiel, he's new," Sam huffed before stepping to the side, "Castiel this is my friend Charlie."

  
"Excuse me, best friend get it right. Nice to meet you Castiel." Charlie held her hand out towards him. He looked a bit taken aback by her outright happiness but her took her hand.

  
"Um, likewise." He shook her hand before dropping his own back to his side. 

  
Charlie smiled widely at them both before walking into the classroom. Her overly sunny personality managed to raise Sam's spirits a little. Castiel stared at Sam, waiting for him to move. Sam rolled his eyes and followed Charlie, not caring if Castiel came with. He sat next to Charlie. Castiel sat next to him and Sam held back a groan.

  
"Are you going to sit next to me for every single class?" 

  
"Damn right, Sammy boy!"

  
"Don't call me Sammy." He turned away and dug through his bag, managing to find another pen. He was lucky he couldn't see the egotistic grin on Castiels face.

  
The teacher began passing out both notebooks and textbooks, giving Sam an excuse to avoid Castiel. Just because they were in all the same class doesn't mean Sam was going to spend anytime talking to him. As soon as the teacher was back at the front, Sam noticed Castiel sit up. He looked genuinely interested in the class, the complete contrast to how he acted in their previous lesson. Maybe the kid wasn't so much of a bad boy as he liked to appear. Sam chuckled to himself as he too, turned to their teacher, Mr. Hannigan. 

  
Mr. Hannigan was known for the outrageous about of work he put on his students, especially in the higher classes. Which the three were apart of. Out of all his classes, Sam knew this one would have piles of homework for him to keep on top of. Countless essays and reading. As much as Sam knew he needed this class, he was not looking forward to the balance he had to create. He already knew the simple balance of home and school was going to be bad enough. Trying to balance school with school, Sam could already tell how hard that was going to be. 

  
"Alright, now this is important." He gave a moment for the students to prepare themselves. "This semester you will need to create a presentation around what we have learnt and present it to the class." He began to slowly walk the rows of tables. "This will need to show a good application of knowledge and not out right plagiarism. You will need to provide notes at the end for me to compare to the presentation, hence the notebooks. You will also be marked on the presentation of the knowledge, I do not want you to read exactly that you wrote on the slides, that shows reading comprehension, not knowledge retention."

  
Sam glanced at Charlie who already looked bored. Castiel on the other hand was nodding along intently. Mr. Hannigan stood at the back, looking at all the students.  
"Remember there will also be essays on each topic needed as well and there will be more detail when I hand them out. There is your senior year and I will be pushing you to ready yourselves for college. To make this somewhat less challenging, you will be paired up for the presentation." He clicked his tongue as he walked back towards his desk.  
Sam nudged Charlie, winking at her. They had worked together before and were good. There was a silver lining to this whole presentation.

  
"And I will be pairing you up, challenge you to work with those who you wouldn't normally. Just like College."

  
Well, that silver lining was nice while it lasted. A universal groan of disappointment rippled throughout the classroom. Charlie leaned her head against Sam's arm heavily, he kissed the top of her head in comfort. He looked around. Everyone was trying not to make eye contact with anyone, not wanting to be stuck with someone they dislike. Sam's attention was drawn back to the front with the rustling of papers. He felt his heart drop as he saw Mr. Hannigan stare at them all.

  
"Okay. First, Adam and Jacob," not too bad, "Emily and Michael," two people who never spoke, "Charlie and Becky," Sam felt Charlie tense up next to him, "Cole and Amber, Harry and Frank, Sam and Castiel.."

  
Sam ignored the rest of the names being called out and turned quickly towards the boy next to him. He was met with a huge shit-eating grin which only frustrated him more. 

  
"Now, that sounds like a fun time." 

  
"Was I a bad person in a past life? Is that why I'm being stuck with you?"

  
"Aw, is someone a little upset they don't get to work with the pretty redhead?" Castiels voice sounded like he was talking to a toddler. 

  
"I'd ask to change but what's the point, you'd only stalk me more." Sam turned to his notebook, writing his name. 

  
Castiel stopped talking, giggling slightly and making no attempt to aim it away from Sam. Mr. Hannigan was too busy outlining the whole semester and Sam was too busy trying to copy it down, that he didn't notice Castiel watching him from the corner of his eye. By the time Mr. Hannigan was done talking, the bell went, signaling the next class. Sam, clearly now ignoring Castiel, packed up his stuff ready to leave. Charlie waited by his side. The next lesson was Maths and Sam knew that he was going to get followed.

  
"Come on then." Charlie said, oblivious to sour mood Sam had fallen into. She walked out, Sam behind and Castiel behind him.

Today was going to be a long day, Sam thought to himself. 


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Honestly not sure how I feel about this chapter, feels quite like a filler in the grand scheme of things. But hopefully it still reads good and fits well with the rest. Enjoy!

Sitting at the lunch table offered Sam some well deserved peace and quiet. The morning, full of Castiel, was more draining than he could have imagined. While he understood that this year was going to be full of stress, he didn’t understand why this was adding to it. Sam took deep breaths, thankful that Garth and Charlie were deep in conversation. Neither of them could see anything wrong with the guy. However, they had barely spoken to him, Sam had dealt with him all morning. With no rest to come, Sam mentally prepared himself for what he could only see as more of the same. He hoped that it wouldn’t get worse. The fact he now had to see him out side of school for a project, all semester, had hit him heavy. At the same time he knew he couldn’t explain the immediate dislike. If he was quite honest, other than a few smart-ass remarks, he hasn’t said anything offensive. He might have a tough look on the outside but Sam hadn't quite seen a personality to match it.

“Alright, how about, Draco Malfoy, Derek Morgan and the 11th Doctor?” It was a weird question that brought Sam back to reality. He put his drink down and looked over at the other two.

“What are you on about?” Sam asked, only to be shushed by Garth.

“She’s thinking.”

It was true. Charlie was looking at the table, thoughts racing through her head. After all, it was a very important question.

“Okay, I’m going to marry Draco, cos of the money, fuck Derek Morgan because he would be willing to add a girl for me, and I guess kill the 11th doctor.” She sat back in her chair, arms crossed and a proud look on her face.

“That’s a pretty good answer.” Sam looked over at Garth who nodded in agreement.

“When you give me all dudes, it’s gunna have to be.” Charlie laughed as all three turned back to to eating. They sat in silence for a few moments, clearly just enjoying the company. For the past few years, it had been the three of them. Sam liked that. It was simple, easy, and felt natural. They fully clicked as a group once they built up the courage to actually show off their interests to each other, turns out they were all pretty similar.

“So, looking forward to your history project?” Charlie asked, a smirk covering her face.

“Please don’t get me started.” Sam groaned, pinching the bridge of his nose.

“This about that new kid?” Garth looked at him, Charlie nodded.

“At least you’re not stuck with Becky.” Charlie’s annoyance cutting into her words.

“True,” Sam sighed, “but at the same time, it’s gunna suck dealing with him.”

“He really doesn’t seem that bad.” Garth chimed in, mouth full of food.

“That’s because you don’t talk to him.” Sam shot Garth a look of frustration, which was met only with a small nod.

Sam looked at his drink, trying to think of anything but the history project. He came to the conclusion that the worst possible outcome would be he does all the work himself, and have Castiel take half the credit. This is something he could live with, it was only one class after all. If this was the case for every single one, Sam knew that it would be the end of his lawyer dreams. In fact, he would have to find his own. He was brought out his thoughts when Garth nudge him, pointing towards the entrance to the cafeteria. Sam glanced over, doing a double take once he saw Castiel standing there. He was clearly looking around for something. Or more upsettingly, someone. And then his eyes landed on Sam and found what they were searching for. He smiled and waved, beginning to head towards him. What no one had noticed was a boy carrying his full lunch tray heading straight towards him. In fact, the boy didn’t even know, he was too busy trying to balance the tray and his bag. Sam could have sworn he saw it in slow motion. The walked into each other, Castiel’s coat and shirt, getting covered in food and water. The rest of the schools attention was drawn to the loud crash of tray and plate on the ground. While the boy stumbled back a few steps, Castiel managed to keep still. In fact, he didn’t even flinch. His eyes were staring down at the mess on him as the cafeteria fell into silence. The only sounds were the rushed apologies from the boy. Slowly, Castiel raised his vision to met that of the boy who lost all words. Sam frowned, seeing Castiels mouth move, but no words could be heard. The boy took another few steps back before turning on his heel and fleeing.

“What the fuck you looking at?” Castiel addressed the school. People turned back to their own tables and conversation soon began to pick back up. Admittedly, a lot quieter than before. Sam could hear his two friends talking, yet he didn’t look away from Castiel.There were a few seconds of him wiping down his shirt before he too, turned and quickly left the cafeteria. Sam took a breath before looking back at Garth and Charlie.

“What the hell did he say to that kid?” Charlie asked, looking between the two opposite her.

“I don’t know, and I don’t want to know if he reacted like that.”

"Maybe that’s how he got kicked out his last school?” Sam suggested, grabbing his bag.

“‘He is one scary ass guy.” Garth said, shuddering slightly causing Sam to laugh.

“‘Oh please, there is nothing scary about him.” Sam stood up.

“Did you not watch what we did?” Charlie pointed at the mess on the floor.

“‘I did and I stand by my statement.” Sam smiled at them both before walking away, careful to avoid the mess.

Running his hand through his hair, Sam made his way through the halls towards his locker. Once there he opened his bag. He took out his morning lessons textbooks and notebooks, making room for the ones he would be given in the afternoon. The locker closed with a metallic clang, echoing in the near empty hall. Sam looked at his watch and knew he had time to go to the bathroom before next lesson. Slinging the bag over his shoulder, he began walking again. While the bathroom wasn’t too far, Sam once again began thinking. His mind wandered to something he managed to avoid all day. His father.

Once he was back home, he knew that there would be some form of argument. It was only his first day, he could have missed it, he didn’t need the car. Dean would try to intervene, but it would be no help. Besides, Sam was tired of Dean trying to help. He was tired of feeling his stomach disappear and his heart sink when he saw their father turn his anger on Dean. None of it was his fault, he didn’t deserve to have the words of their father thrown at his face. Deep down, Sam knew he didn’t deserve them either, so what if he wanted a normal life? He thought he earned it. Sams life hadn’t been easy, far from it. His father always said there was no easy way out, school looked like it. That was a lie, it wasn’t. While Sam excelled at the actual learning part, the part were his father saw it as a cowards life, was not easy. It hurt, hearing it come from his own father. It hurt knowing that even if he stayed hunting, it wouldn’t help the family. Where as Sam and seemingly Dean had grown to accept what had happened, their father just couldn’t. No matter how much Sam tried to keep the peace, it would never be enough.

The bathroom came into sight and Sam chuckled when he saw an ink stain from his hand earlier. Apparently the janitors weren’t on top form today. He could hear some muffled words, in an angry tone. Preparing himself to enter into a petty argument, Sam opened the door, stepping inside. And then he stopped. He was stopped by the sound of the mirror shattering and glass hitting the floor. As he looked up, Castiel drew his had away from the now broken mirror, catching Sams reflection in the shards still on the wall. Sam looked him up and down, seeing blood begin to drip from the floor. They both locked eyes when Sam looked back at Castiels face, meeting his direct gaze. He couldn’t quite explain the silence because well, it wasn’t silence. He could hear this ringing but it got quieter the longer they stared at each other. Castiel breathed heavily, anger clear on his face. Neither one of them wanted to break the silence that had formed between them. It was also a rare time for Sam to actually be speechless. This wasn’t what he expected and it could also confirm Garth’s opinion. Castiel was scary.

“Don’t ever fucking mention this.” Castiel spit the silence apart. He’s words echoed in Sam’s head.

Sam didn’t even get a chance to react before Castiel rushed past him, ignoring the fact he hit Sams shoulder has he went. Sams eyes followed him before turning back to the mirror on the wall. Surely this was an overreaction? It was a simple accident and Castiel was acting as if he was personally attacked. Sam took a few steps towards the sinks, standing in front of it. He didn’t know what compelled him, but he ran his hand lightly over the cracks in the glass. The smooth unbroken glass was a stark contrast to the sharp edges around it. Without thinking Sam spun around and walked out the room. He looked up and down the corridor but there was no sign of Castiel. There was a few spots of blood on the floor but they soon stopped. Very suddenly Sam thought. Other than that, Sam didn’t know what to think. Maybe he was wrong with what he thought about Castiel. He seemed okay, but now? Now he had no idea.

“‘Well, that’s seven years bad luck.” Sam muttered to himself.

The bell rang, signalling the end of the lunch period. Sam ran his hand through his hair and headed to his next class, his mind elsewhere. He didn’t even notice when Garth joined up next to him as they walked into their Spanish class. Almost in a trance, Sam sat down just waiting for Castiel to sit next to him. There was one problem. Castiel didn’t show. Sam looked around the class just to make sure that he hadn't sat somewhere else before looking back at the teacher. Why did he care? This guy wasn’t exactly great company. Sam just wanted to make sure he was okay. But again, why did he care? He had barely known the guy a day and he had already punched a mirror out. He sighed trying to pay attention to what was going. Once enough time had passed for Sam to realise that Castiel wasn’t going to show, Sam managed to actually pay enough attention to the class.

The rest of day sped by in a haze for Sam. He could easily remember what had happened but it still felt dreamlike for him. There was no explanation and he knew it. Or he chose to know there wasn’t one. He didn’t want to admit to himself that he was actually concerned for Castiel, especially since he hadn’t shown up for not only Spanish, but all their other classes. Garth and Charlie didn’t seem surprised after what happened at lunch and it only encouraged Garths idea that Castiel was now somehow running from the law. Sam did not believe that one bit. He had kept his wish though. Sam hadn’t mentioned the bathroom incident to any one, no staff no friends. It was another thing Sam couldn’t explain, what did he have to gain for keeping this to himself?

Hearing the ring of the final bell, Sam grabbed his bag and headed slowly to his locker, Charlie behind him. She had noticed a difference in Sam. She hadn’t poked into what was causing it. She knew better than to chase a Winchester down for an explanation. Either it ended in a fight or someone crying and quite frankly she did not want to deal with that on the first day back. If Sam wanted to talk he would come to her, that’s was another thing she knew about Winchesters. Let them deal with what they need to until they decided otherwise. He tried to keep everything normal when they were at the lockers. Taking part in barley important conversations, organising his locker and laughing at terrible jokes. Just like how the end of the day should be.He kept himself from looking around for Castiel, assuming he had simply walked out and gone home. Or the hospital if his hand was bad enough. Either way, it was out of Sams control and none of his business. Sam would really like to keep their relationship that way. If Castiel would let him, however, was another story.

They all parted ways once they left the school, Garth for the bus, Charlie for her mom and Sam for the car. As he neared, he noticed a figure leaning up against it. It took him a second before he saw that it was Lisa, Deans girlfriend.

“Lisa? What are you doing here?”

“‘Looking for Dean,” she pushed herself off the car, “where is he?”

“He let me borrow the car today, he’s at home.” Sam stood awkwardly in front of her.

“Tell him I called. He’s been ignoring me for two days now!” Sam didn’t have a chance to agree or not before she stormed off leaving him standing alone again.

He ran his hand through his hair, as he unlocked the passenger door. As he placed his bag on the seat he could sense someone behind him.

“Okay I tell him that you...” Sam turned around, only to find Castiel and not Lisa.

“Tell who what?”

“None of your concern.” Sam slammed the door shut, causing Castiel to flinch. “What do you want?”

“Your number?” Castiel winked.

“‘No.” Sam turned back around to the car, hoping to leave.

“But I need it!” The pleading tone of voice forced Sam to look at him, coming face to face with what appeared to be Castiel giving him puppy dog eyes.

“Why?” The second the question was out of his mouth Sam regretted asking it.

“So we can plan shit out about our project.” Castiel spoke like he was talking to a child, causing Sam to get more annoyed. Sam took a breath before handing out his hand for Castiels phone. With a wide smile, the phone was placed in his hand and unfortunately put his number into the contacts. He handed it back.

“Don’t send me dick pics.”

“Aww, there goes my evening plans.” Castiel finished the sentence with a pout. With an eye roll, Sam walked around the car, and opened the drivers door.

“Goodbye Castiel.” Sam said, glad to finally be rid of him.

“Just call me Cas.”

“Whatever.” Sam slammed the car door behind him, turning the key in the ignition. He pulled out of the space and began to drive home, leaving... Cas to stare after him.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> While I want this to be a slow burn, I’m not gunna try and write about every single second of the days. So there will be some skips but nothing to drastic. Like this it will be a week or a few days.

Sam Winchester laid in his bed with his head pounding. This was headache he had never experienced. Yet he was hesitant to call it a migraine. It wasn’t as if he didn’t know the cause of it. Stress. The first week of senior year had been full of stress all because of one guy. Castiel Novak. And now Sam found himself caught up in the habit of calling him Cas. The last thing Sam wanted to do was give the guy the satisfaction of thinking that they were friends. They were project partners and that was the end of it. Any text conversations Sam tried to tried to keep short and sweet, but Cas was not having it. Or he was dumb and wouldn’t get the hint that Sam wanted to be left alone. That want had only grown overnight. The Saturday morning that now greeted him, did nothing to expel the want to be alone. However. The universe wasn’t going to make that easy for him. With no alarm set, Sam had hoped that he would be able to sleep in. Dean had other plans. He was too busy having a rather loud argument over the phone with Lisa. Evan after Sam had passed on her message, Dean thought it would be a good idea to only text and not call for the rest of the week. By Saturday morning, Lisa had evidently had enough. Dean was only on the phone for damage control at this point. At least that is what he would tell people. He didn’t want to admit it, but he was quite clearly in love with girl. He couldn’t even admit it to himself.

With no end to the argument in sight, Sam pulled one of his pillows over his head. While it was successful in blocking out the light from his half closed curtains, it was not as successful in blocking out Deans voice. Why was it so hard for him to get five minutes of peace? At school was bad enough, he really didn’t want to deal with it at home now. Though he knew. Deep down, that’s actually even with Cas invading every aspect of school, that was going to be the most calm moments of his week. Much like Dean not wanting to admit he was in love, Sam didn’t want to admit that his home life was anything but relaxing. And with great cosmic irony, as soon as Sam began to drift off back to sleep, the sound of heavy footsteps coming towards his room, caused him to wake up once more. He barely had time to move the pillow from his head, before his door slammed open. His dad standing there, not looking happy, which was annoyingly what he looked like all the time.

“You need to explain.” It was a simple sentence, one Sam heard all the time. But for once, he had no idea how to answer.

“Explain what?” The pillow fell to the floor as Sam sat up. He looked towards his father.

“This!”

Sam gave a confused look in the second of silence that followed. It was a quick second as it ended with the sound of bundles of paper hitting the bedroom floor. It took Sam a just as quick second to realise that they were university guides he had sent of for months back. The second it took him to look back up, well, it was on of the longest of his life.

“Dad, look-“

“What the hell is this, Sam?!” The volume making Sam flinch. “Why the hell do you need these?”

“Because I’m going to go to university next year!”

“Since when?”

“Since forever!” Sam finally managed to find the courage to match his dads volume level.

“Sam this is ridiculous, you know you can’t leave next year.”

“Why the hell not?” Sam stood up, coming eye to eye with his father.

“Because your job is more important.”

“I don’t want this job, and for some reason you still can’t accept that. Dean has.”

“Oh please, Dean just doesn’t want to hurt your feelings.”

Sam paused. He needed a moment to think. The more he argued with his father the harder it became to think. He would lose track, or ended up shutting down. He was sick of that. He had to find the courage to keep up with his father. He couldn’t keep losing. Sam knew that eventually he would leave. There was no doubt about that. The only problem was if he could get his dad to understand that. He really thought that he got Dean to. But maybe his dad was right. Maybe Dean was just protecting his feelings. He had done that all their lives. Sam was the baby of the family and Dean had to grow up too fast and too quick. Gave Sam a chance at a normal childhood. He could never repay Dean back for that. It was an un-payable debt. Though, Sam knew that he had to try. So was leaving, in what would be just under a year, really the best way about it? Maybe not. But at the same time, Sam knew this was the right thing for him to do.Because whether Dean knew it or not, Sam had tried his hardest to look out for him as well.But even still, the moment Sam had to think was just too long.

“You,” his dad pointed at him, “are _not_ leaving this family.” John Winchester turned on his heel and stormed out the room, his thundering footsteps echoed on the stairs, finally fading out of the front door, followed by the slam of the door.

Sam took a few deep breaths before collapsing back onto his bed, face first. Reaching down to the floor, Sam picked up his pillow and placed it back over his head. He hadn’t yet got his breathing under control so he closed his eyes trying to think of anything other than what had happened. Well, he failed at it because he brain kept walking around and stopping at the papers on his bedroom floor. It was almost as if they had made themselves a beacon that Sam couldn’t ignore. He didn’t want to look at them. At least not right now. He needed a break and it was barely 10am. Sam could hope all he wanted that he would forget about the pile, but he knew he wouldn’t. He just had to buy himself enough time to at least be calm about it. There wasn't anyway for him no know how much time that was gunna be. What he did know, however, was that Dean had finally shut up. The house was quiet again. And that was something that Sam could cling to. Maybe get some more sleep.

“Well?”

Sam tensed. The house had been quiet and then there it was. Dean. Sam turned over on to his side. His gaze landing on his brother, leaning in his doorway.

“Well what?”

“You just gunna leave them there or are you actually gunna read them?” Dean nodded his head in the direction of the guides on the floor.

“Not right now.” Sam flopped his head back into his bed, hoping he would be left alone. Instead he heard the sounds of paper being picked up and felt the sensation of Dean sitting next to him.

“Yale, Columbia, Stanford, Harvard, Princeton. Boy, you’re really shooting for the stars here Sammy.”

“Shut up.” Sams voice muffled by the bed.

“Oh come on. You need to look through this, make some decisions. You even have a safety choice yet?”

Sam paused.

“Princeton.” Sam sat up, not hiding a glare at Dean, who let out a small chuckle.

“Let me guess, Harvard is your first choice?” Dean placed the papers down next to him.

“Stanford actually.” Sam lightly pushed his brother off the bed as he stood up again.

“Well, I guess that’s okay. It’s no Harvard.” Dean joked. Sam ignored him, instead, he grabbed some clothes from his closet.

“Can we please not talk about this now?”

“Fine,” Dean sighed as he stood up, walking to the door, “we have to at some point.” And with that Dean left.

Sam followed behind him, but headed to the bathroom instead. What he really needed right now was a hot shower to clear his head. University was a topic he rarely wanted to be brought up. And the fact this was the first day in a long time his dad had got to the mail before anyone else, was just Gods way of showing him that this was going to be a long and rough journey. He turned the shower on, letting the room fill with steam. His clothes, clean and dirty, were dropped to the floor as he stepped in. His body turning red under the heat of the water. He didn’t care. The heat, and slight pain, was a welcome distraction form his father. He was no longer thinking about it. Instead, his mind had wandered towards school. Which was only a slightly more fun topic to think about.

Eventually the water ran cold and Sam was forced out. He dried himself of and got dressed. Heading back to his room, if was gunna think about school, he would at least put it to good use. After all, he did have a English paper due in next week. At least that was something he could bury his head in for a few hours. And that was exactly what he did. Sam sat himself down at his desk and filled his head with the words of Shakespeare. While this wasn’t boring, it wasn’t exactly exhilarating. It was just balanced enough for Sam to ignore the world for as much time as he needed. In fact, he managed to get it all done in one sitting. He could say he was proud of himself, but this was such a common occurrence, that he barely thought twice about it.

By the time he was done, it was way past lunch time, around mid afternoon to be precise. He printed his essay. And then headed downstairs for some food, ignoring the fact that this was the first time he had eaten today. He had time to make himself a decent sandwich. Sam gathered his food together and once he started prepare it, he felt his food buzz in his pocket. He paused. It could be Cas. And he wasn’t someone he wanted to deal with right now. On the other hand it could his friends. He could deal with them. And on the magical third hand, it could his dad for some job that he really didn’t want to deal with right now. So, he left it. He kept making his sandwich. Until it buzzed for a second time. And then a third time.

“God damn it.” Sam muttered to himself as he pulled the phone from his pocket.

**_Party at Harry’s tonight, you in?_** That was from Garth.

_**If you come tonight make sure I don’t get too drunk!**_ Great, a warning from Charlie.

**_See you tonight?_** From Cas.

Okay. At least none of them where his dad. That could count as a relief. And a party. He barely knew Harry. He was more of Garths friend but its not like he hated the guy. A party could be fun. Really give him a chance to forget the day. Get drunk and stumble home. Or more likely have Dean track him down and take him home. That was something he wanted. And for once he didn’t take forever to come up with a decision.

_**Hell yeah!**_ Sent back to Garth

_**Not gunna make a promise I cant keep.**_ It was true and he sent that to Charlie.

Cas. Well Cas got no reply. They weren’t friends. And its not like he could find anything in common with guy to even try. Sam just didn't think that they clicked. It was one of those things. Not everyone can be friends with everyone. But Cas was determined to keep trying. That was one of the more annoying aspects of his personality. That and the fact his mood could so easily swing from calm to violent. After the mirror incident, a couple days later anyway, Sam caught him kicking a chair across an empty class room, the same look of anger on his face. This time he didn't know that he had been caught. Sam was gunna keep it that way. Cos he did not want to be on the receiving end of that anger. He got that enough at home.

He put his phone in his pocket and grabbed his sandwich. Heading outside he sat on the back porch, just enjoying the everyday sounds around him. His phone buzzed once more, but this time he really did decide to ignore it. There was nothing he thought that could be more important that what he was doing right now. He had finally managed to stop thinking about his dad. The party was already sere in as the distraction he needed. The first party of his senior year. He didn't think it would happen in the first week, but there you go. He wasn’t gunna miss out. He may be a super smart and good in school, but he wasn’t gunna be they guy who misses out on parties because he was too busy with studying. He can do that during the day. Or the weekday evenings. He had missed out on lot of stuff growing up, but this wasn’t gunna be one of them. He was surprised Cas was invited. Though to be fair, he had sat next to Harrys best friend Micheal during Physics. They seemed to actually get along pretty well. It was one of the very few times he didn't sit next to Sam. So Cas was gunna be there. Would Jess? She was on of the most popular girls in school. She wasn’t a bitch though. She was kind, and beautiful and generous and beautiful. And Garth was right. He did have it bad for that girl.

In fact, Sam had it so bad that he didn’t even realise he had finished eating until he bit down on his own hand.

“Ah fuck.”

He brought himself out of his daydream and stood, heading back inside. The house was quiet again. Even from being in the back yard, Sam would have heard his dad come home. He was beginning to think that was his dad gone for the weekend. It would not be the first time he had up and gone for days at a time with out telling either Sam or Dean. Sam enjoyed those dats. So did Dean. They could just relax and not have to worry about anything. So if his dad was really gone for a few days. Sam was going to make the most of it.


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not really sure if this chapter makes sense or just goes round in circles. I’ve rewritten it at least 3 times. Also sorry if it’s a little short.

Castiel Novak once again found himself laying in a clearing in the woods. He could feel each blade of grass in between his fingers and even with his eyes closed, he knew what his exact surroundings where, down to the last pebble. It was only a small clearing, perhaps the just bigger than one of his classrooms at school, but it was still one of the most beautiful places he had seen. And he had seen a lot of places. He could hear the steady flow of water to his right. The steam ran the whole length of the woods, and beyond. This was the only area you could really see it. Of course, the opposite bank hit right against the trees, but it was still wide and deep enough for Cas to enjoy a swim. And he did. Often. There would never be anyone around and he could stay in the water for hours if he decided to. He sat up, looking around him. He took in the rocks that piled against each bank and the way the grass slowly faded out in to what could only be described as sandy mud. Not that it bothered him of course. With the end of summer drawing near, Cas was sad to see the flowers in the meadow grass filter out. He knew that soon, leaves of some of the tress would begin to fall and litter the stream. It was still just as beautiful then. He just really liked how the clearing looked in the summer. 

He ran his hand through his hair as he noticed that the light coming through the trees dance of the water. He smiled. Standing up, he took his coat off as he did, letting it drop to the ground. He kicked off his boots, and rolled his jeans up. After taking his socks off, he made his way to the stream. He smiled to himself as he felt the water hit his feet lightly. He always forgot himself when he was here. Cas could leave the whole universe behind him. There were no worries brought to this clearing and that was something Cas could appreciate. It was simple and carefree. These where the moments that Cas never wanted to end. If he had his way. He would leave here. He would be pretty happy living in a tent the rest of his existence. There would be no one to bother him. Cas really loved being alone.

“CASTIEL!”

The booming voice shocked Cas enough for him to stumble back slightly.

“CASTIEL!”

The second time Cas sighed. He made his way back to his stuff and put his shoes and socks on. He took his time, it was not a voice that he wanted to rush back to. Even though he knew the longer he kept the voice waiting, the angrier it would get. That was a lesson the Cas had long since learned. It was also one that he did not care about. The anger couldn’t lead to anything right now. Later on maybe, but that was something he would deal with once he got to it. He picked his coat up and the second that he put on his surroundings changed.

The soft grass had now been replaced with stark white tiles and trees where no longer there. Instead, in their place where high walls that had matching tiles to the floor. Cas made his way to where the stream once flowed, now just a large pair of double doors, which also happened to be white. Without lifting a hand the doors opened. Cas could hear the dull thud of his boots on the tiles, smiling slightly as he knew that he would be leaving muddy footprints with each step. Directly open the double doors, there stood a wide reception table. A woman with her blonde hair in bun sat behind. She looked over her glasses with disappointment at Cas.

“You’re late.”

“I know, Emily.” Cas barley looked at her as he walked past, turning down a long hallway, with the same clean and bright tiles.

As he walked, Cas ignored the mass of other doors and hallways that lined wither side of him. As well as ignoring the faces of all the others he passed. They judged him. Every single aspect of his being was being judged right down to what he wore. Clothes and human alike. They all wore clean and bland outfits, trying hard to blend in. And they would. They would blend in wherever they were. That was something Cas hated. He didn't want to blend in, he never had. It had gotten him into trouble more times than he could count. It never stopped him though. If anything, it spurred him on to really develop his own look. And well, personality. He hated having to be told what to think, say and do. There wasn't a lot of people up here who went against God. And everyone knows what happened to the last person to do that.

After walking for what felt like five miles Cas once again came face to face with a set of double doors. Unlike the first set, these door were made of dark oak. Standing out in deep contrast to white walls. He sighed, he did bit want to be her, but he knew that he had no choice. He had not exactly been, forthcoming, with the information that he was charged with getting. That, and it was hugely obvious that he was barley trying. Now he was trying, he was just not putting the most effort in. But, at the same time, Sam wasn't exactly eager to be friends.So getting said information was difficult on both ends. Cas had been warned about that. Even been advised to change himself up so he appeared much more appealing to Sam. He had refused. Cas was determined to be his own person.

As he was thinking to himself, the doors opened slowly. Cas rolled his eyes at the dramatics. He pushed aside the heavy doors with ease as he stepped inside the room. Again, the room was complete different to its outside surrounds. There was a large fireplace, that gave off heat to the rest of the room. Despite the size of the doors, the room was small. The matching oak desk taking up most of it. He glanced at the leather armchair in front of him. He had sat in it too many times and as much as he wanted to sit in it, he refused. For once, he would stand.The opposite side of the desk had a similar chair, only this one had a higher back and was turned to face a window. Of course the window could show pretty much anything. Cas noticed that today, it seemed like the London skyline. He heard the surprisingly soft click of the doors shutting behind him. And now. They were alone.

“You’re late.” It was quieter, but it was defiantly the voice from earlier.

“I am well aware.”

The chair spun round and Cas looked at the man in front him, adamant that he wouldn’t squirm under the gaze.

“When I set a meeting I expect it to be upheld.”

“And I expect to be left alone to do my job.”

“You’ve proven that you can’t be trusted.”

Cas stayed silent. He did not want to get into that conversation right now and he knew if they did, he would be punished.

“I’m trying my best here.” Cas said, trying to keep his breath even. The older man sighed as he looked at Cas.

“Do you know why I let you back on the job? Back on earth?” The question ended with him crossing his arms over his chest.

“Going to guess that it’s not my sparkling personality?”

“No Castiel. I believe that you can actually redeem yourself. There’s plenty of people who don’t think that and would kill to have this position. This is a rather important job.”

“If it’s so important why didn’t you give it to Gabriel?” Cas wandered over to the empty chair and leant against it. Still determined to not sit in it. He held the gaze of his father in front of him.

“Gabriel has other work to do.”

A silence feel over them. It was a vague answer and Cas knew he could push for a better one. Perhaps even get the truth out of him. But once again, Cas did not want an argument.

“Look I don’t get what’s so special about this kid. It’s not like he’s going to do anything important.”

“Not yet,” he stood up, removing the chance for Cas to ask for an explanation, “All you have to do is keep an eye on him.”

Cas huffed, “Yeah like he is making this easy for me.”

“You made friends with Nathan pretty easily.”

“I don't want to talk about him.” Cas snarled.

“Sam has a very stressful time ahead of him. If you let a repeat of Nathan happen I will never trust you again.”

“Stop _talking_ about him!” Cas shouted, not caring if there was a punishment coming his way or not. His father feel silent, making his way to stand in front of Cas, a hand on the other’s shoulder. It was shrugged it off.

“Castiel. This is important. If you can’t handle it and let your emotions get in the way...”

“I can handle it.” Cas spoke slowly, careful to stay calm.

His father looked at him. The look in eyes was hard to decode. That wasn’t unusual. It was always hard to know what was going on in his head. Those who were close to him liked to think that they knew. In fact they would parade around the place claiming so. Did that make them look stupid? Slightly, but on the other hand, maybe they had been told. That was another problem. Maybe God did have some one he trusted, Cas certainly wasn't that person. The right hand man of God was not a position that Cas wanted. The rest of his family, however, they were climbing all over each other in order to get within a breath of it. Cas couldn’t understand why. There was so much pressure on that role. So much resentment from everyone else. Why on earth would Cas want more of that? He got enough of it as it was. This job he was on now, was covered in secrets and going by what God said earlier, was highly important. This was just some other kid that Cas had to be a guardian to. He had done it before and he will do it again after Sam had done whatever he needed to do. And yet, everyone else wanted this position. If it goes well, Cas would officially be back in the good books, trusted. And after his last assignment, everyone believed that it was a huge mistake. Deep down, Cas did as well.

“You better.” His father walked past him and sat back down in his chair. Cas’ eyes never leaving him.

“Is your belief in redemption the only reason you picked me for the job?”

“There is more to this than you know.”

“Are you going to tell me?”

“No. You didn’t need to know.”

“Seriously? You pick the fuck up to do this incredibly important job and yet you wont tell me what is going on?” The frustration in Cas’ voice coming through.

“Exactly.”

“Fucking hell. Then be prepared for another fuck up then I guess.” He turned on his heel and walked to the door.

“Mess this job up, and that’s exactly where you’ll end up.” The pure darkness in his voice mad Cas pause at the door. He didn’t respond, but walked out. 

The walk back felt even longer than before, and it wasn't long before Cas realised he hadn't been paying attention. Instead of what was previously a straight hallway, Cas had taken multiple turns and not counted a single one. He sighed to himself. And kept walking. The tiles changing back to grass as he appeared back into his clearing.the sun had slowly began setting the the orange glow lit up the stream where it came through the trees. Just above the water, Cas could see insects dancing around in the air. They seemed to be a mix of random movements and intricate choreography. It was oddly interesting to watch. He realised it was something that happened everyday, yet he never took notice. Cas would have to start looking for the little things for life, learn to enjoy them. In all his years, he hadn't yet mastered that. This time around he would.

He looked up at the sky, seeing clouds crawl along slowly. He closed his eyes, feeling a slight breeze. He smiled. This was one of those moments. It was such a fleeting moment that anyone else would forget about, but after everything that had happened, Cas was great full for this. He vowed to never forget this exact time. It was peaceful. Cas liked that. His mind could go blank or just wander elsewhere. There weren’t many opportunities for him to do that. So he clung to it. Once he opened his eyes, he knew that he couldn’t stay any longer. There was a party that he had to get to. It was true that he didn't know if Sam was going to be there, but it was a good a place as any to try again to be friends. That part of huis job, was nit going well. Perhaps a party would mean Sam letting his hair down, actually willing to try and get along. Cas could only hop[e for that. As much as he was in charge of protecting Sam, he unfortunately could not control his thoughts and decisions. No one could do that. And John liked to think that he could. Cas was not looking forward to that aspect of his work. Not one bit.

But for now, he needed to figure out what he was going to wear at the party.


End file.
